Halloween Articles

In case you are wondering, yes, Daylight Savings Time is earlier than you remember. We used to spring ahead in April and fall back in October, but now Daylight Savings Time is the second weekend of March and the first weekend in November. Why? Congress. In 2005, Congress extended Daylight Savings Time to save energy. It’s part…

I’ve never seen anything like it. The Halloween Parade. This Norman Rockwell village, a throwback to a nicer time in America–where neighbors bring each other pies and talk to new people in town–really knows how to throw a party. We just had the Arts Festival, which, in a good year draws three hundred thousand people to our sleepy hollow….

“Mom, since it’s Halloween, can I have candy for breakfast?” Logical question, but no dice. “We go begging for candy tonight, I don’t have any now. Tomorrow’s the day you try to sneak candy.” Halloween is the largest consumer holiday outside of American Consumer Christmas. Americans spend billions on Halloween, a holiday stolen from natural religions by some…

“I want to be a pirate!” The demands came early this year because the commercials, did, too. I like to plan ahead, but Halloween should not be out right after the Fourth of July decorations leave the shelves at Memorial Day. “That’s fine. You can be a pirate.” We’ve been talking about pirates for months. I’m surprised…

A video posted to my Google+ profile. I didn’t notice. It’s gone now, no use looking. It was me staring down my webcam for about 20 seconds. No makeup, terrible hair, stained shirt–frightening. I was playing with settings for a Google Air hangout. Apparently I sent it live…happens to the best of us. Good thing I was…

Yesterday we went to the farm and got B Grade produce. B Grade produce is the best kept secret on the planet. Some, like peaches and tomatoes, are overripe, needing to be eaten or canned immediately. Others, like eggplants and apples just don’t look good on supermarket shelves. They have blemishes, marks, the occasional bruise or two–they…

Teachers–ever feel that you need a vacation to recover from summer? That’s how I feel today. I had a list, “Things to Accomplish This Summer.” Nothing is done. First, I promised my friend Claudia I’d finish “The Book I Wonder if Anyone Will Read.” It’s not done. I removed spelling mistakes, inserted paragraphs and line breaks so…

It’s Christmastime and I have to decorate the house. I always look to Martha Stewart at times like these for the guidance I need to get through the day. I decided to add some holiday material to my Learnist board about Martha Stewart. It will get me in the mood because I am out of home-made eggnog….

I never make it through my Christmas card list. Every year I try, every year I fail. If I start too early, I feel like a department store putting Santa out before Halloween. The news in the cards becomes outdated. Then I don’t want to send them. If I start too late, they never make it to…